Can You Make It Out of the Parking Lot?

About 1 1/2 hours from the OKC area (1 hour if Sparky is driving) is Mt. Scott and the 59,020 acre Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. In the past, I have enjoyed getting away to the "Wichita's" to partake in hiking, camping, rock climbing, photography, getting stung by bees (a whole blog within itself), and being allowed to experience close up views of bison, longhorns, and white-tail deer...to just name a few.

This past Sunday morning, rather than sleep in, Sparky, Sparky's brother, and I decided to wake up before the sun probably even started to think about stretching it's rays and drive to the "Wichita's" in order to ride our bicycles up Mt. Scott.

Keep in mind that I am not an experienced cyclist. At all.

As for Sparky and his brother...they are.

I got my "little circus bike" a few months ago...probably around May. I ride it every once in a while...about once a week. More experienced cyclist...like Sparky, clip into their pedals. I never knew this before Sparky. You have to purchase special fancy cycling shoes and special fancy pedals which viciously lock your feet into the bicycle. When I first got my "little circus bike", I vowed that I would never clip into my pedals because the thought of it was just too scary and I just knew that I would never ride my bike enough to even want the chance to clip in to my little circus bike. Plus, the shoes are pricey and I'm way too frugal.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, and I found myself crushing over some adorable girlie but not too girlie women's cycling shoes that were on clearance (my favorite word). After we left the bike store the first time without the shoes, I decided a few hours later to go back to bask in my clearance heaven. I now own my own pair of girlie but not too girlie women's cycling shoes.

So, of course, I thought I just had to try to viciously lock myself into my bike on our Mt. Scott excursion.

Well, I thought I was doing awesome in practicing clipping in and out in the parking lot. I was doing well and we were ready to head off out of the parking lot to head up Mt. Scott. Then, it happened.

I came to a close stop. I clipped out of my right pedal to lean down on my right foot. Somehow, I leaned to the left and my left knee found the gravel pavement. It found it hard.

I didn't even make it out of the parking lot.

After the surprise of what I had just done to myself and the realization that my knee filled with gravel was not going to stop bleeding, I asked Sparky to please get me a bandage. Of course, we didn't have anything to bandage my knee with, so Sparky had to drive about 5 minutes to a gas station to buy something to patch me up and make me all better again.

I sat there alone. I sat on the gravel of the parking lot with two bicycles by my side. I sat there on the gravel of the parking lot with a gravel filled and bleeding knee which was going numb. The thrill was gone. My excitement was gone. My cute girlie but not too girlie new cycling shoes were all of a sudden not worth the clearance. I was discouraged. I wanted to bandage up my knee when Sparky got back and sit in the car while him and his brother cycled up the mountain 2 or 3 times with so much ease. I was pissed.

Then I sat there and contemplated. I was out on the animal refuge on a cool Sunday morning and it was silent with the exception of a car passing by every couple of minutes. I sat there alone on the gravel of the parking lot that had damaged my knee and I asked myself this question, "Am I a person that can't even make it out of the parking lot?" I thought about that for the little while that I sat there alone. Did I want to be the person that didn't even make it out of the parking lot or did I want to be a person that got passed the fall in the parking lot and continued on to finish out the purpose of coming here in the first place?

Sparky returned with Triple Antibiotic Ointment and bandage in tow. He patched me up, wrapped my knee, and tied my bandage in a bow. He asked me if I still wanted to ride my bike? I looked at the car, then looked at my pretty bandage tied in a bow, then looked at my adorable girlie but not too girlie cycling shoes still on my feet, then to my bike.

I decided I wanted to make it out of the parking lot.

After Sparky put my regular training wheel pedals back on my little circus bike, I hopped back on my bike and pedaled my cute girlie but not too girlie cycling shoes out of the parking lot.


and.....

....I also made it up the mountain.

So, the next time you fall in the parking lot, ask yourself what kind of person you want to be: Either a person that gets up and makes it out of the parking lot or a person that gives up while everyone else continues to climb the mountain without you. Because you might just end up making it up the mountain after all.


And...Of course I have pictures to document my hour of knee throbbing torture.

I have to ride my little circus bike up that???!!!!!


Whoa!


My bow bandaged knee needs a break!


My little circus bike and the view.


Seriously. I don't know if I can do it.



I made it to the top! Of course I had to take a picture of my feet!


Keep on Keepin on.